Growing Young Farmers: Tell Us Your Story

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Are you a young and/or beginning farmer who wants to share your story? Or do you know a young/beginning farmer whose story should be told?

FamilyFarmed is officially launching a Growing Young Farmers series on this Good Food on Every Table site. And we are crowd-sourcing for some of the great stories that we know are out there. If you are interested, reply here or contact bob@familyfarmed.org.

As many of you know, the U.S. needs a new generation of farmers. This has to be a crucial priority because the average age of U.S. farmers is around 60.

We also believe that young and beginning farmers will inject a new vitality and innovative spirit into our nation’s agriculture — thus helping to advance FamilyFarmed’s goal of a healthier, more environmentally sustainable and more economically dynamic food system that stimulates growth, creates jobs and revitalizes both rural and urban communities that have struggled financially.

The stories we are looking for can cover any part(s) of the wide range of issues facing farmers who are seeking to start up or scale up: land access, financing, production issues, product selection and mix, deciding how to market (farmers markets, CSAs, farmstands, online, direct to restaurant, wholesale, etc.), marketing strategies, etc.

And they can be about rural farming, urban farming, suburban farming, community gardening, growing food for sale in your backyard or on your rooftop — basically everything that young farmers do. And we are seeking stories from all across the United States.

The stories can focus on successes and trials, pathways and obstacles… whatever you or your favorite farmer are facing. For an example, please click here to read the series’ pilot story by Kara Gunthorp of Indiana’s Gunthorp Farms.

Sorry, no freelance money for contributed stories, but they will reach FamilyFarmed’s network of committed food advocates and beyond. Again, if you are interested in participating in or providing story ideas for our Growing Young Farmers series, reply here or contact bob@familyfarmed.org.

The Growing Young Farmers series will coincide with the release later this month of FamilyFarmed’s new Direct Market Success, a training manual aimed heavily at new and beginning farmers. “DMS” and its accompanying training program are modeled after our well-regarded Wholesale Success program, which has trained more than 11,000 farmers in 40 states.

Ten Delicious Facts About Chicago Good Food

Family Farmed is proud of the blossoming Good Food movement in our hometown of Chicago, so we put together a list of 10 Delicious Facts about Good Food in the Windy City (click on the photo to read the article). We want our readers to know what's happening in your hometown, too! If you would like to contribute a column about your Good Food scene, please contact bob@familyfarmed.org

Good Food n. /güd/ /füd/

1. Delicious, healthy food, accessible to all, produced as close to home as possible by family farmers and producers who use sustainable, humane, and fair practices. 2. A fast-growing movement creating vast numbers of jobs and economic development by providing people with food that matches their values.